Short on cash or big on the idea of a casual, family friendly outdoor wedding?

The Perfect Picnic Wedding

Perfect if you are getting married in a park, backyard, or a tiny old church set in a big grassy field…

You could have a very small private ceremony in the church and then celebrate with a larger party of guests waiting to receive you outside. For a list of small churches in the US please visit roadsideamerica.com (image above is from this site).

Picnic Wedding Essentials

One of the most important items you will need – picnic blankets! Stick with tradition and pick red and white checkers, or find fabric that matches your wedding colors and make your own (you may find it less expensive to buy a large bolt of fabric and make your own anyways). You can buy the handmade one below at etsy.com for around $20 (and she offers a discount if you purchase more than one). These blankets could double as a wedding favor for each family that attends as well (you might have to come up with a contest to figure out who gets to take the blanket home for mixed picnic groups).

Deluxe Picnic

I wasn’t able to find a caterer in the US that provides this service, but in the UK you can pick up a biodegradable picnic basket filled with treats from the Arch House Deli in Bristol for less than $20 per person (converted from British pounds). Perhaps you could find a local catering company that would provide the picnic blankets and a picnic basket packed with goodies for each group of guests (let me know if you find any companies that do that!).

Picnic Event Tips

Don’t forget to be considerate of older guests and offer cushions as well as normal seating if necessary.

Provide picnic themed activities to keep the kids busy.

This cute picnic basket from bestpricetoys.com will be fun for younger children.

Plan for the weather

Bring large sun umbrellas, gazebos, and a play tent like the one below from Ikea to offer children some shade (or a quiet place to nap). You might want to bring something to weigh down the blankets if there is a chance that it will be windy. Make sure sunscreen and plenty of water is available for the guests.

Getting Married Soon?

An Independence Day Bachelor Party

Why? Well, July 4th usually involves outdoor fun, barbecued food, and beer so it sounds like a perfect day to get the guys together and celebrate your groom-to-be’s independence one last time. Here are some ideas…

Patriotic Spots to Celebrate

If the groom is a history buff, this is the perfect opportunity to take him on a weekend that celebrates his heritage while you celebrate his impending wedding. Tripadvisor.com lists top 10 Patriotic Attractions, here are my picks:

Freedom Trail (Boston Massachusetts)

“Boston’s Freedom Trail is a two-and-a-half mile path through 16 significant U.S. historical sites where Revolutionary War heroes fought for U.S. independence, including the site of the Boston Massacre, the Old State House and Bunker Hill Monument, to name a few” (tripadvisor.com).

Mount Rushmore (Keystone, South Dakota)

“A famous 60-foot mountainside carving created by sculptor Gutzon Borglum and completed in 1941 pays homage to the most influential U.S. presidents in our country’s first 150 years: George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Abraham Lincoln and Theodore Roosevelt” (tripadvisor.com).

Revolutionary Refreshments

It doesn’t matter what you serve as long as you grill it and then stick it with a lot of American flag toothpicks!

Barbecuing is as American as, well… apple pie!

Patriot Games

Don’t forget to organize some games. This truly American football is available from carnivalimports.com (irony somewhat intended).

The baseball is from chinawholesalegift.com.

Clubplanet.com lists 5 different drinking games for the 4th of July.

All American Stories

End off the night (or the next morning) with an All-American movie perfect for some all-American guys: Saving Private Ryan, The Outsiders, American Pie, Dazed and Confused, Animal House… whatever suits your group of friends the best (any other suggestions?).

Don’t Forget Your Independ-pants

…and shirt, and shoes…

This cool shirt is from onlinesports.com.

You might also consider throwing your stagette or bachelorette (or Jack and Jill party) on Independence Day!

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On the Prowl For a Cute Bachelorette Theme?

We’ve featured a lot of great themes, so if this Kitty theme isn’t up your alley, check out your sweet Gummy Bear theme, Crafty theme, or 1950′s theme. Check out the tabs on the right for great ideas for Jack and Jill parties, bridal showers, and stags, too.

This Kitty theme is an example of how you can get inspired by one key decoration, like these napkins from partymakerdiscountsuperstore.com. You can come up with your own unique party theme by browsing around until you find one color, design, or one decoration piece that inspires you – then develop the whole party from there.

Smitten Kitten

Dress the bride-to-be up in this purrfectly cute kitty costume from costumecraze.com.

Cat Crew

The main kitty’s entourage can wear these cute hot pink ear/tail sets so everyone knows you are a group (also available from costumecraze.com).

Drink Pink

Design a pink cocktail in honor of your party and give it a suitable name. Or, use one of the many recipes already out there- just make sure your drink is hot pink!

Fun and Games

Serve a kitty litter cake (perfect if your group of friends are ‘potty-mouths’). Here is an example from wendychao.com (visit the website for her recipe).

Bring along a cat paw stamp and a hot pink ink pad and give it to the guest of honor- anyone caught being “catty” gets stamped! (Pictured below: stamp from stampmillaz.com.)

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Today we start a new continuing feature here at weddingsetups.com: a look at wedding traditions from around the world. You can use these articles to honor your family’s heritage during your wedding ceremony, wherever it takes place. Or, you can celebrate the bride or groom’s culture during a pre-wedding party (an article with ideas for these parties will follow).

German Wedding Traditions

Festive Felony

In the smaller villages, the bride may be ‘kidnapped’. The groom looks for her in the local pubs, often picking up the tab for all of the customers or inviting them along in the search.

Housewrecker

There is a house party before the wedding that ends with all of the dishes getting smashed for good luck. The “lucky” bride and groom have to clean up the mess.

German Wedding Food

The bride and groom snack on bread when they first arrive at their home after the wedding, to symbolize that they will never go hungry.

Wedding Cake

The traditional wedding cake is Baumkuchen, which is often made in stacked rings but can also come in the shape of a rectangular cake or small squares. The one below is from konditorei-werner.de, warning: if you visit this site it will make you want to fly to Germany for some dessert!

German Wedding Attire

Tasty Accessories

Traditionally, the bride carries bread and salt to symbolize a good harvest and the groom carries grain, which is a symbol for good luck and health. This is also an aspect of traditional Polish Weddings, to read all about them please visit polishwedding.blogspot.com – a very useful and informative source. Photo: Polishwedding.blogspot.com.

Yes, but how far can you throw it?

In Germany the bride passes her veil on to the next woman to be married, rather than throwing the bouquet.

German Wedding Decorations

Sharing a Cup

Another tradition is for the bride and groom to drink from a special cup that lets them both drink at the same time. This is based on the “Legend of the Maiden Bridal Cup” and you can buy one of the beautiful cups at mayhemltd.com.This cup would also make a thoughful gift to the bride from the groom. The cup, and it’s beautiful story could also be used to propose!

Flower Horse Power

In Germany, real flowers are used to decorate the cars, rather than the ribbons, bows, and plastic flowers often used in North America.

Important German Words

Wedding: Hochzeit

Bride: Braut

Groom: Brautigam

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Here are some great ideas for wedding favors that you can make yourself! A great way to set your wedding apart from the rest – when you make your own favors they can be truly unique and customized to your character as a wedding couple. You can also save a lot of money!

Sweet Deals

Check online for stores that sell wholesale chocolate and buy your candy favors in bulk. For example, you can get a 6 pound box of delicious almond bark at candywarehouse.com. Available in white, dark, or milk chocolate – if you need more than one box, mix it up so that you can offer a selection to each guest.

You can buy favor bags and boxes online as well, or check out your local dollar store, craft store, or discount department store for sales. Sandscripts.com offers a wide variety of fabric bags, gift bags, and gift boxes. You can also order customized ribbon for your event for a very reasonable price.

Cookie Cutter Wedding

Another idea – invite a few of your friends over for a cookie crafternoon. Bake the cookies beforehand if possible, and then get together to decorate and package the goods with your friend (ask them to bring over some bottles of wine to get the creative juices really flowing). Check out sweetopia for instructions for these beautiful butterfly cookies, as well as lots of general tips and links to other online resources for cookie decoration.

If you’re not confident about your cookie skills – bake and decorate simple cookies instead and then focus on presentation, instead.

Or, buy cookie cutters in bulk, attach your favorite recipe and your wedding date with a beautiful ribbon, and you’re done (no baking required!). Tip: buy the cookie cutters from an online cookie cutter store rather than a specialty wedding store for better prices! Check out cookiecutter.com for lots of options: flowers for a spring wedding, hearts, brides and grooms, etc.